"Exeunt": Change, Loss & Farewells Conclude The 'Endeavour' Series Finale

Footage of a funeral, motorcycles, and the creation of a wedding dress opens "Exeunt," the series finale of Endeavour. It’s both an end and a beginning for Morse, in an episode steeped in memories, regrets, and discoveries. Given the progression of the series with its twists and turns over the decade, we are prepared to accept not every issue will be resolved — from the beginning, Endeavour has reminded us life is uncertain, compared to the truths of great music, literature, or architecture. Writer Russell Lewis and director Kate Saxon indulge in a certain amount of fantasy in this episode, but they and the superb cast and production team make it all work.

Our revels now are ended. These our actors,
As I foretold you, were all spirits, and
Are melted into air, into thin air:
And like the baseless fabric of this vision,
The cloud-capp’d tow’rs, the gorgeous palaces ...





The Tempest, Shakespeare

Once again, Morse is at Blenheim Vale, where excavations continue, but not for much longer. Morse is convinced that the remains of Peter Williams, a victim who was never accounted for, are buried there, while Thursday and Bright are anxious for the case to be closed. Morse has also discovered Blenheim Vale is owned by an offshore company owned by one Lionel Godfrey Chambers, but the trail has run cold. Peter Jakes, a former officer at Oxford Station in the early seasons, who turned up at the end of Episode 2, and a survivor of abuse at Blenheim Vale accompanies Morse to the scene: “It’s like half of me has always been here.”